Anti-entropy and the origin of initial conditions

On long time scales counter-entropy processes occur as undertows to an overall entropy increase. As time scales become shorter counter-entropy processes connected with thermal and then quantum fluctuations begin to play a role, especially in connection with ground state instabilities. Such processes are compatible with the second law of thermodynamics, but beg the question of the origin of information (since they are contingent on atypical conditions or on nonlinearities that depend on such conditions). On extremely short time scales, where vacuum fluctuations become violent, the self-consistency aspects of general relativity must be taken into consideration, due to the fact that the nonlinear relativistic and linear quantum models of acceleration come into conflict. It is argued that quantum models that are compatible with the self-consistency requirements of a gravity theory (using the fluctuon model as a prototype) allow for an anti-entropy process that does not depend on atypical initial conditions. In this picture the ground state of the universe is inherently unstable; the basin of attraction moves as it is approached. The moder suggests that superpositional collapse and gravitational collapse ale closely related. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.